Faking My Way to a Marathon

Road to Soweto: Training Recap, Week 6

I am training for the Soweto 10k on the 5th November 2017. The Soweto Marathon is one of the biggest races in Africa and I am really looking forward to being a part of it! I am also doing a #17in2017 Challenge where the goal is to run 17 races this year! To keep myself accountable I am linking up with the inspirational Holly and Tricia this week for their Weekly Wrap! Be sure to check out what they and others have been up to this week.

After a disastrous three weeks, I was determined to do better this week and although I still struggled with my workload, my mileage for the week was HIGHER than it was for the previous three weeks COMBINED! LOL! I say that is a win!

Monday – Wednesday, 16th – 18th October: Unplanned “Rest Days”

Same old story. The new project at work meant long hours at the office on Monday and Tuesday, and then on Wednesday I chose to re-group and catch up with a friend instead of working out.

Thursday, 19th October: Easy Run (Treadmill, 36:25 min; 5 km)

In the morning I started toying with the idea of doing 5 km. Usually my weekday runs are around 3/ 3.5 km. By the time I got home and changed, I was determined to do 5 km. I put on the Moana DVD for the kids and then hopped on the treadmill. It was such a good run – I felt like my body was “in flow” and I was so light on my feet. I remembered to pull myself upright when I started feeling tired towards the end and before I knew it, I was done! Yipppeee!!

Friday, 20th October: Legal Rest Day.

Saturday, 21st October: Long Run (1:20:40 hours; 10 km)

Runfession Time! So my plan was to do around 6 km but on Thursday or Friday my friend Elisa said she was doing a 16 km Long Run. Tapiwa said she would join, and then Polelo hopped on the bandwagon… so I slowly started convincing myself that waking up at 05:00 am wasn’t so bad after all and having a group would be good for me. Kind of forced hubby to join in too. So we all assembled at the Builder’s Warehouse parking lot at Airport Junction and by 05:50 we set off. We started at the Airport Lights and headed towards Phakalane. Tapiwa, Polelo and I stuck together for most of the run as we were doing 10 km and we maintained a good conversational pace. The route was quite nice as there were some gentle ups and downs, but I didn’t like that there was so much traffic! The last 2 km for me were tough but I pushed through and was overjoyed at the end. Once we were reunited in the parking lot we went for breakfast at Cappuccino’s. There must be some perks for getting up at that time and going for a run, right?!? Lol!

Once we were done with breakfast… I joined the gym and signed a contract for TWO years! What an awesome induction I had – I’ve got my online account now, I have downloaded the app with all the class information, etc., and on Monday I am going to register the two kids for the Kids Club so I can bring them along on some days! I am feeling nervous but mostly excited and motivated!

Sunday, 22nd October: Blogging Day 🙂

Mileage this week: 15 km

Mileage this training cycle: 56.86 km

Do you prefer running on your own or with a group of friends? Do you enjoy going to the gym? Have you found gym classes that complement your running?

24 thoughts on “Road to Soweto: Training Recap, Week 6”

That’s great that you were able to sign up for a two year membership. I’m sure you got a great discount committing for that long. Now you have no excuse not to go…haha. I usually run by myself but sometimes it is a nice change to run with a group.

It’s one of the nicest gyms in town, but with the 2 year deal it makes it the CHEAPEST! I am so excited and looking forward to the variety and yeah, no excuse for not going now, lol! I also usually run by myself too but I think I am going to start doing all my long runs with friends. With all the news (ahem… gossip) to share, time just flies by, Lol!

That’s awesome that you were able to sign up with a great deal for a 2 years membership! I’ve been at my gym for about 7 years and I love it because there’s a great variety of classes and equipment that I can use a few times a week.

It is easily the best gym in town, but the 2 year deal makes it THE cheapest in town! And they are not telling anyone when the deal is running out! I am just so glad I caught it on time! I’ve seen from your blog that you do so many different things in terms of fitness – I love that. So here’s hoping I also find classes I really enjoy too!

I thought so too! 😉 And brunch felt so good after that run! The Kids Club is a huge perk. Always feel guilty when I workout, but now at least I can bring the kids along and they can be entertained while I do a class.

I signed up with a gym in the spring, but will probably drop it soon. The classes don’t work with my schedule, which is too bad, and once I get my treadmill, I’ll only have one reason to go, for biking. that’ll be the next machine for the basement, once I get the treadmill in.

Oh no! That’s too bad 😦 I have a treadmill at home, so my biggest reason for going is for the classes. They have some early morning (as in 5 am) classes so that will be the only time I can manage. I just pray that I will be able to sustain that – early mornings are not my thing!

So excited! My last gym membership was probably 8 – 10 years ago! But I used to love the motivation I got from the classes. And I think it will give me the strength training that I desperately need but I struggle to do on my own!

Congrats on the gym membership! I belong to a gym but in the thick of marathon training, I hadn’t gone as much as I would have liked. Now that I’m not training, I’m going more often. Isn’t it amazing how motivating running with a group can be? Well done!

So motivating Marcia – and as my long runs get longer and longer, I think having a group will be even more key. Having said that though, I will also need to do a few on more my own to work on my mental game for races.

So much easier in a group! Makes such a difference! Fortunately for me we still have a similar pace – but I can feel my cousin is now getting faster so my Tempo Run Day will soon have to be her Easy Run Day. I’ve struggled to get in any strength workouts at home on my own so I am hoping the gym will help! Well, with a 2 year contract signed, it better help now! Haha!

Great job on the long run. I absolutely think it was worthy of breakfast afterward. I often treat myself by going to Starbucks after a race. It’s wonderful you found a gym that includes a Kids Club. Thanks for linking!

Goodness I can relate to long hours at the office! I have a full-time job and then go to a part-time job several times a week. It is draining but somehow I get it all done! Your new adventure with a new gym sound very motivating! Thumbs up to you!

Oh wow Tricia – that sounds intense!! And well done for getting it all done. What’s funny is I have found that on days where I have less to do, I am somehow lazier. And when I look back, I am far more active now with two young kids than I was without kids. Somehow you just find the strength and energy to squeeze in more – I guess the mind is so much more focused when there is lots to do. Thanks so much for stopping by and for hosting this fantastic link-up!